Tuning-peg



J. ALBERT. TUNING PEG FOR VIOLINS, &c.

2 WZQ/ UNITED STATES PIITENT JOHN ALBERT, OF PHILADELPHIA,IEXNSYIQYANIA.

TUNING-PEG FOR VIOLINS, &c.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 31,288,

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, JOHN ALBERT, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, haveinvented a new and useful Improvement in Tuning- Pegs for Violins, &c.;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawingand to the letters of reference marked thereon.

My improvedtuning peg consists of a pin or bolt having a tapering headat one end and a nut at the opposite end in combination with a handlehaving a tapering projection the whole being constructed and ap plied toa violin or other stringed instrui inent substantially as describedhereatter for the purpose of preventing any slipping of the strings andof adjusting the same with nicety and rapidity.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use myinvention I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the accompanying draw ing which forms a part of thisspecification, Figure l is a side view of part of the handle of anordinary violin with my improved tuning peg, Fig. 2 a transverse sectionof Fig. l, and Fig. 3 a sectional view of my improved tuning peg of aproper size for application to Violoncello.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

A represents a portion of the neck or handle of a violin through the tworibs a and a of which pass my improved pegs the peculiar construction ofwhich will be best D is the handle of my improved peg having aprojection E the end 6 of which is made tapering to correspond with thetapering head 6 of the pin B. A portion of this pin is round as shown inFig. 3 and the portion (Z is square, this square portion passing freelythrough the handle D and its stem E, the nut c on the screwed end of thedated February 5, 1861.

pin bearing against a projection on the said handle. By turning this nutc in one direction the handle with its tapering projection E may bemoved toward the tapering head Z), and after turning the nut in acontrary direction the handle with its tapering projection may be movedaway from the tapering head of the pin.

In applying my improved tuning peg to a violin or violoncello, taperingrecesses are formed in the ribs (1 and a, of the neck or handle of theinstrument, the tapering recess in the rib a being adapted to receivethe tapering head 7) of the pin B and the tapering I'QQL in the rib a toreceive the tapering projection E of the handle D.

The string of the instrument is passed through a hole in the roundportion of the pin B after which the handle I) is turned and with it thepin so that the string may be coiled around the latter until it has beenstretched to the proper tightness when the nut c is turned so as toforce the tapering end of the projection E of the handle and thetapering head 6 of the pin into their respective tapering openings inthe handle A, thereby so thoroughly securing the pin that itcannot turnand allow the string to become slack.

IYhen the string has to be loosened the nut is unscrewed to a limitedextent when the tapering head 6 and tapering projection E may be readilyturned in their respective openings on turning the handle D.

It is well known that considerable diiiiculty and delay are experiencedin adjusting the ordinary pegs of violins to that nicety which a correcttuning of the instrument demands and that the pegs are apt to slipthereby causing much annoyance to the performer on the instrument.Attempts have been made to remedy these evils by the application of thewell. known worm and worm wheel arrangement which is sometimes ap-.

plied to harps. Although this arrangement prevents the slipping of thepegs it involves the necessity of much delay in winding up the stringsin the first instance.

It will be readily seen without further description that by means of myimprovetl pegs the strings can be tightened and slackened more readilyand the proper tuning effected to a greater nicety than by theordistrument substantially as and for the pur- 10 nary pegs, and thatthe strings may be efiecpose herein set forth.

tually secured against slipping. In testimony whereof, I have signed myI claim as my invention, and desire to sename to this specification, inthe presence of 5 cure by Letters Pate11t-- two subscribing Witnesses.

The pin B its tapering head 7) and nut 0 I JOHN ALBERT. in combinationWith the handle D and taperlVitnesses: ing projection E the Whole beingconstructed HENRY Howson,

and applied to a Violin or other stringed in- I JOHN VVnrrE.

